Celebrating Native American History

Celebrating Native American History

The evening begins with We Shall Remain: American Experience: Trail of Tears airing Friday, November 5 at 7 p.m., followed by Unconquered Seminoles at 8:30 p.m. and Way of the Warrior at 9 p.m. on WXXI World (cable 524/DT21.2).

We Shall Remain: American Experience: Trail of Tears

The Cherokee would call it Nu-No-Du-Na-Tlo-Hi-Lu, "The Trail Where They Cried." This groundbreaking mini-series establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Three 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native-American perspective. Despite decades of struggle to keep their land, in 1838 thousands of Cherokee were forced from their homes in the southeastern United States and driven to Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died of disease and starvation along the way.

Unconquered Seminoles

The Telly-award winning Unconquered Seminoles traces the history and identity of Florida's resilient Seminole tribe, one deeply rooted in a pattern of obstacle and challenge, survival and success. Three wars in the 1800s sought to remove the Seminoles from Florida, but they adapted to life in the Everglades and eventually thrived while still preserving their cultural traditions. Unconquered Seminoles charts the significant moments in the history of the Seminoles through archival stills and interviews with historians.

Way of the Warrior

This documentary examines the visceral nature of war and the bravery of Native-American veterans who served in the United States military during the wars of the 20th century, and explores the paradox of these veterans who chose to fight for a country that considered them outside the American mainstream. Their gripping stories are told against the backdrop of positive and negative themes familiar to Native Americans - the warrior ethic, prejudice, forced assimilation, poverty, cultural pride, redemptive acts and healing - through the prism of what it means to be "ogichidaa," orone who protects and follows the ways of the warrior.